How To Deal
by BabbleBaby
Summary: Post Season 2 finale. How will Danny's fathers death affect Mary and Danny's relatonship? COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

Title: How To Deal

Rating: PG? I guess

Pairing: Danny/Mary

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's not mine.

Summary: Post Season 2 Finale fic. Will be Dary romance.

Authors Note: I'm not entirely sure what year it would have been when Danny's mother died so it's a rough guess. fingers crossed Hope you like it!

Part 1

"Breathe, just breathe" Mary mumbled to herself as her finger nails dug into the handle of the plush seating of Jake's private jet. She could feel her heart pounding and her hands clam up against the leather material.

"You Okay?" Jake asked smiling at her as he walked out of the cock pit, and sat down opposite her.

"I guess I'd never realised how scared I am of flying before" Mary said with a small forced smile. Closing her eyes as a wave of nausea took over.

"Maybe this'll help take your mind off it" Jake reached behind him and took out a square velvet box. "Here" Mary smiled curiously at him as she took the box in her hands, a gasp escaped her lips as she opened it to reveal a diamond bracelet.

"What…….why…..I….It's beautiful Jake" Mary said finally, fingering the delicate strand of gems, a lump rising in her throat. She knew that all the nerves running around her body weren't just caused by the idea of flying. She was terrified about what she was leaving behind going on this trip. No matter how many times she told herself it was only two weeks, it still felt so final.

"Not as beautiful as you" Jake smiled leaning over to kiss Mary

"Oh god I can't do this" Mary said seconds before Jakes lips were to touch hers.

"What do you mean? You can't do what?" Jake's eyes bore into Mary's filled with confusion.

"Leave."

"I was only joking when I said you wouldn't want to come back Mary, we'll only be gone a couple of weeks."

"I know, I just can't…"

"Is this is about the flying? Because I promise it's more than safe. Nothing's going to happen to us Mary."

"It just doesn't feel right Jake, I'm sorry" Mary voice was quiet and timid as she looked down from Jake's eyes.

"Wait here" Jake ran his hand lightly through Mary's hair before standing up and walking into the cockpit. Mary could hear muffled voices as she put her head in her hands, and willed herself not to cry. "Okay, let's go." Jake said as the door to the jet opened. He took Mary's hand and lead her off the jet, the bracelet falling forgotten from her lap. Jake noticed this with a sad smile "We'll try this again tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it. You want me to come home with you?"

Mary shook her head "I think I just want to be myself. I'm so sorry Jake."

"It's okay. We'll try tomorrow. I don't want to make you do anything you don't feel comfortable with Mary."

"I know. Thank You" Mary replied looking up at him and kissing him softly. "I really am sorry"

"No reason for it" Jake smiled and motioned for his driver to open the door.

"I'm going to tie all this up here and sort out things for tomorrow, I'll call you later

okay?"

"Okay. Bye Jake"

"Bye" Jake leant and kissed Mary quickly before she climbed into the back the limo. Sighing loudly as her head rested against the leather, and feeling incredibly foolish as the Limo drove away from the plane.

It wasn't long before she was home, tears falling from her eyes as soon as she shut the door behind her. Stripping off her clothes as she went, she headed straight for the shower, her body feeling weak from all the emotions running through it. As the jets of hot water started caressing her body, she finally admitted to herself that the feelings of doubt about this trip with Jake weren't something that had crept up on her. Ever since he'd brought it up she knew she didn't want to go. As well as she knew she wouldn't be getting back on that plane again. She knew she should be happy with Jake; he adored her that was obvious to anyone. Although the lavish gifts were something she hadn't quite come to terms with yet, she knew to him they were his way of expressing his feelings to her. He treated her like a princess. He'd told her before that he wanted to know what all her hopes and dreams were, and that he had the means to make them all come true. She'd thought it incredibly sweet at the time, but when she'd thought about it after she wasn't sure how she felt about him saying that. Her dreams were simple; they didn't need millions of dollars and influential contacts to make them come true. They were a product of the things she'd experienced in her life, things Jake knew nothing of. Things she was pretty sure she'd never be able to tell him. From day one she'd worked so hard to convince herself that she felt for him what she thought she should. What she needed to, to prove to herself, and to everyone else, that she could live her life without Danny. That she was able to open herself up to someone else, that there was space in her heart for another man. All it had managed to do though was convince her finally that that wasn't true. Jake was perfect. On paper he was the dream guy. But he wasn't Danny. Danny didn't need to be told her dreams, or why she wanted the things she did, in the way she wanted them. He didn't need to be told anything because he knew everything. Everything important. He'd spoiled her for other men and a part of her hated him for it. She could never be happy with anybody else. No other man would ever be able to catch her before she herself even knew she was falling, the way Danny had been doing since they were children. He was her knight in shining armour, her confidant, her best friend. And somewhere, somehow, he'd become the love of her life. Her soul mate.

She'd fought back tears earlier that evening when stood in the Montecito listening to Gladys Knight sing his parent's song. One of her earliest memories is of her and Danny sat watching his parents dance, oblivious to them, in the kitchen of Danny's house to that song. Whispering quietly in each others ears. It was a stark contrast to her home life, where her parents barely seemed to speak, and the only whispering in her house was her fathers voice in her ear at night promising that it was last time he'd ever touch her. At that moment, sat there in that kitchen, possibly not even five years old yet, she'd seen the image that would stick with her as to what love really was. She'd felt it then, and she felt it now when she remembered it. And she'd felt it earlier when her heart had bled for Danny. Her whole body calling out for her him. She wondered if she'd of been able to go with Jake if she'd seen Danny one last time before hand, or whether her feet would of never even stood on the tarmac. Salty tear mixed with steaming water condensed against the frosted glass of the shower as she let herself get lost in her thoughts. The pain in her heart grew as she realised once again that all her thoughts came back him. Danny. Everything came back to him.

Slipping out of the shower she sat on her bed and ran a towel over her hair taking out the dampness, her breathing was heavy, and the only sound in the dark apartment. The clock next to her bed had the numbers 11:30 blinking eerily green into the darkness. As she lay back on the bed her mind racing she knew sleep wouldn't be coming anytime soon. Glancing at the clock she watched as the zero turned to a one. In just under half an hour she could be out of a job. What would she do then? Would she be able to get a job in another casino or would it be back to waiting tables like she'd done in high school. It was the only other experience she had. Her mind went back to the earlier meeting they'd had as a group and she wondered if it was true the casino was going to be imploded. It held so many memories for her she decided to get dressed and go have a walk down memory lane, just in case.

Walking into the casino Mary weaved her way in and out of the mass crowds that were milling around the Montecito. Looking down at her jeans and t-shirt she wondered if maybe she should have dressed in a way that wouldn't of made her stand out so much.

"Mary!" she was brought out of her thoughts by someone calling her name. Looking around for a few moments she saw Mike waving to get her attention and walking toward her. "Shouldn't you be laid out on some beach about now, or a ridiculously expensive bed?" He joked as he caught up with her.

"Uh, long story" Mary answered not really wanting to discuss why she hadn't left, and cursed herself for having let it slip her mind to come up with some sort of excuse for anyone she might run into. "You were great tonight"

"Thanks" Mike said taking the hint that Mary wanted the subject changed. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Reminiscing" Mary smiled as she looked around the casino the years flowing back to her. "Just in case"

"Yeah, you know I've been wandering around for ages now and you're the only person I've seen. And the only one who's not meant to be here!"

"Yeah figures. Shall we go upstairs?"

"To one of the rooms, ya know Mare, you're really very attractive but.." Mike winked and Mary playfully elbowed him lightly in the ribs as he laughed and put his arm around her leading her toward the Staff Only doors.

Danny McCoy numbly parked his car and opened the door, almost on auto-pilot he walked the short distance to the gated playground and over onto the swings. He let out a gruff laugh as he thought what anybody driving past might think. A full grown man slumped onto a swing in a pitch black playground. More than likely they'd assume he was drunk. He wished. He'd tried, but the whiskey bottle he'd nearly finished seemed to have made no difference to him at all. Sitting here, feeling the way he did, he felt ten years old again. He'd been in this exact same place after he'd ran out of the house following his father telling him his mother was dead. Although then it had been pouring with rain and his shorts and t-shirt had done nothing to shelter him. He wasn't sure at all how long he'd sat there that day. In much the same way he wasn't sure how long he'd been driving around Vegas before ending up here tonight. Drinking and driving was never something he'd of considered before – especially when it was literally at the same time. But at this point he didn't think he'd care if he crashed his car. Why would it matter? His first instinct when he'd gotten behind the wheel was to drive to Mary's house, but then he realised she wouldn't be there. After then he realised there wasn't anywhere else he wanted to turn, except maybe to the bottle. It was supposed to help. On many an occasion he'd used alcohol to suppress his feelings. Today nothing seemed to work though and he just wanted this night to be over with.

Mary quickly turned her car off the strip ignoring the driver whose horn was honking after her for cutting them off. She was too preoccupied to even notice as she tried to work out where exactly she was going. Once she and Mike had got up to the surveillance room Mitch had told her about Danny's father. Suppressing her own grief she'd fired questions about where Danny was now, and how long ago he'd left. No one could answer her questions so she'd turned and ran out of the casino and climbed into her car speeding off into the night. Looking around her she prayed for some sign to tell her where she should be going, and caught sight of the turning for her old neighbourhood. She whispered a silent thank you to whomever it was that was answering her prayers as she was greeted by the sight of the familiar yellow car. A sense of deja vu washing over her as she realised exactly where she was.

"What are you doing here?" Danny asked his gaze not lifting as he watched Mary's feet cross the playground

"Apparently rein-acting a scene from the Danny and Mary story, circa 1988." Mary paused and sat down on the swing next to Danny's. "I'm not going to ask if you're okay. It's a stupid question and I know you're not. I'm just going to sit here and you can talk if you want." She sighed and started swinging back and forth lightly kicking her shoes into the ground.

Danny looked up and watched her, she was biting on her lower lip and he knew that meant she was trying not to cry. He felt the first piece of emotion he'd properly felt since hearing about his father and he wanted nothing more than to hold her and try and erase both their pain. As if sensing his thoughts Mary looked over at him.

"Hug?" She asked quietly, not just for herself but for both for them. Standing up they wrapped their arms around each other. His head resting on hers as she buried it in his shoulder. "It's okay to cry Danny" She whispered into his skin her own tears falling, and that was all it took for his arms to tighten around her and the tears he hadn't known had been building to fall.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I'm off to visit my family tomorrow; so I won't be able to get on my computer for a couple of weeks. So it'll be a little bit of a wait till the next part. Hopefully I'll get the chance to work on it while I'm away so I'll be able to post it when I get home. I hope everyone has a good couple of weeks, and that you enjoy this part. Take Care

Part 2

Mary bit lightly on her lip as a silent tear fell from her eyes as she stood watching Danny's chest rise and fall. His breathing telling her he was awake but his eyes were fast shut. She'd driven them both back to his place in his car. The alcohol his mind had told him hadn't taken affect was obvious to her as soon as he'd try to step away from her. She breathed in deeply and stepped into the room. "Drink this" She said offering him a mug of coffee, and putting her own down on the cabinet next to his bed.

"Thanks" Danny answered quietly sitting up. The first word he'd spoken to her since they'd left the playground.

"How you feeling?"

"Honestly?" He paused "I don't know." Both their eyes were trained on the wall in front of them, their breathing sounding heavy in the quiet room. "I don't miss him Mare" Danny said after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked shifting so she was on her side looking at Danny. His position not changing.

"My dad, I don't miss him."

"It probably hasn't sunk in yet sweetie" She moved over so she could lay a hand on his arm reassuringly

"When it was my mom I missed her right away. I can remember feeling as though a huge part of me was missing from the moment I was told." Danny didn't look at Mary but she could feel his muscles relax a little at her touch, as she began stroking his arm up and down

"When we're children we just readily accept what adults tell us as the truth. You've been through so much; seen so much since, that now you don't believe everything you're told. You need proof. We all do as we get older."

"Hmm" Danny looked over and gave Mary a small smile. "You have a habit of doing that, you know"

"Doing what?" Mary said smiling back, glad that Danny seemed to be opening up

"Knowing exactly what to say to make me feel better when I do something I feel terrible about."

"Well, I'm only being honest, and I don't think I've ever known you to do anything that ever deserves you to actually feel terrible." Danny gave her a look that read disbelief and Mary leant over and kissed him forehead. "Sometimes, you're much too hard on yourself Danny McCoy"

The pair gazed into each others eyes. Their faces only inches apart as Mary drew back from the small kiss she'd placed on Danny's skin. Both their minds were telling them to look away but their fast-beating hearts were pulling them closer together. "Danny I…"

"Shush" Danny lifted a finger and placed it on Mary's lips stopping any further words escaping. He placed a hand on the small of her back pulling her closer toward him.

Ring Ring

Mary leapt away from Danny and into the other room, following the sound of her ringing cell phone. Not looking back and trying to ignore the seemingly ever present tears which were swelling in her eyes.

Danny grunted in frustration and threw his fist into the pillow Mary had been leant against. Once the room was quiet again his attention was drawn by the sound of Mary's voice floating down the hall.

"No, I didn't hear the landline, I'm not at home" Mary said sitting down on the couch, absentmindedly twisting a strand of hair around her index finger. "I'm….." Mary hesitated not knowing how her answer was going to be taken. "I'm at Danny's, Jake." Danny, who had made his way from his room to the doorway of the living room, watched Mary's body tense. His own following suit as he heard her utter Jake's name "I need to be here right now Jake….his father died……..No, I don't think I'll be flying out tomorrow" Danny shifted against the doorway the sound causing Mary to look up. "Look Jake, I don't want to discuss this right now I'll call you in the morning. I'm sorry."

Mary flipped her phone shut, her eyes not leaving Danny's as she motioned for her to join him on the couch. She picked up a picture on table in front of her. "I took this didn't I?" She asked as she felt the couch shift with Danny's weight as he sat down.

"Yeah. My fifteenth birthday" He answered looking down at the picture Mary held. Danny stood grinning next to a beat up looking camaro, his father looking on proudly from the other side of the car. "He promised me we'd do it up together, and it'd be perfect by the time I got my licence."

"And he was right. A month after your sixteenth birthday you picked me up for school in it. God you were so smug driving into the parking lot that day."

"That's because I looked so cool. A hot car, and a hot chick riding next to me" Mary just laughed

"Yeah; and Greg and Kymberly Jenkins making out on the back seat"

"Ah, I'd forgotten about that" Danny joined in with Mary's laughter for a minute. "We were so close while were doing up this car you know?"

"I remember." Mary said sweetly, softly crying again. "You idolised your father in those moments, watching him work on that car. Showing you what to do, how to do it. You loved watching him. And I loved watching you, watch him. That look of adoration on your face. I was so jealous. Of you being able to look at your father like that, and of him being on the receiving ends of those looks" She gave Danny a sad smile.

"Why didn't you go?" Danny asked putting the picture down on the table

"What?" Mary asked confused as Danny's question brought her back from her memories

"With Jake" Danny's teeth grated slightly as he spoke Jake's name. "Why didn't you leave tonight?"

"Oh, that" Mary sighed and shifted; lying back against the arm rest of the sofa. "I was scared" She responded honestly

"Of what?" Danny watched as Mary ran her fingers through her hair, tugging on one strand and wrapping it around her finger. He remembered being able to watch her do that for hours. It was a habit she'd had as far back as he could remember. A comforting motion she'd do without even realising. Whether it be trying to decide what to make for dinner or talking about something she didn't feel comfortable with.

"Oh you know, flying" Mary tried to joke it off

"Mary…." Danny moved so that he could look Mary directly in the eye. His tone was low and comforting and he took her hand in his; stroking her palm lightly with his thumb.

"You know sometimes I think that this life-long friendship thing is a really bad idea." She gave a small smile which Danny reciprocated "You know me much too well sometimes." Mary sighed and took her hand away from Danny's. "It didn't feel right. Leaving."

"You deserve a vacation Mary. You'd of been back in a couple of weeks."

"I know but…" Mary started and then stopped herself. "I feel incredibly selfish talking about myself tonight."

"You're hardly a selfish person Mary"

"Maybe so, but I just don't feel comfortable talking about this tonight. And anyway" Mary glanced at the clock, and Danny found himself mesmerised by the way the moonlight came threw the window and lit up her face. "It's nearly 4am. Maybe we should both just try and get some sleep."

"Maybe" Danny answered reluctantly, he really wanted to know what was going through Mary's mind. She may think he knew her too well, but lately, to him, it felt as though he didn't know her at all. "Why don't you go threw to the bedroom. I'll stay here"

"Don't be silly. You go to your own bed. I'll be fine on the couch" Mary felt a sadness sweep over her, as she thought about how until quite recently there would have been no discussion of where she would have been sleeping. "You've had a long day Danny, and I won't hear anything otherwise. Now go to bed. I know where everything is. Sleep well Danny" They both stood up and hugged

"Night Mary" Danny said placing a soft kiss on Mary's forehead.

Danny lay back on his bed and sighed realising how tired he was. Mary was right, today had been a long day. There were very few days in his life when he could honestly say that everything would be slightly different from then on. As he lay there thinking his life over, he realised Mary had been there every time. If not in person she'd been the main thing on his mind through out. He thought over the day, from when he'd gone into work that morning, the way his heart had sped up sat next to her in Bella Sera, to finding out his dad was dead and the playground. Right up until the nearly kiss and the way he'd felt hearing her utter another mans name, and in that moment as he gave into the tiredness, he promised himself one thing. He wasn't letting her gett away.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Sorry it took so long to get out – I lost what I wrote while I was away and then life just got super busy and then lack of inspiration, and then as the season opener came and went I decided I wanted to get the end all out at once but then lack of inspiration and urg anyway enough excuses! This part's just a short one, I've nearly finished the story I just have to tie a few things together and stuff, so the next time I post it should be the completion! Hope you think this and sorry it's short, next part will defiantly be longer! _

_ Part 3 _

_Danny looked down at Mary's sleeping form and couldn't resist the urge to touch her, bending down he wiped some stray strands of hair away from her face. The answer phone beeped from the other side of the room. He'd be woken by the first call at 9, after the fifth he'd switched the phone on silent and turned on the machine. Word travelled fast in Vegas and his father was a well loved man. Going back to sleep and trying to block the reality of the world he'd been plagued with dreams of things that wouldn't be . Dreams of his father watching him achieve everything he'd hoped for him, of giving him grandchildren. Every time the surreal ness woke him he was filled with loss, something which only dulled when he walked into the other room and saw Mary lying there. He'd spent the past half an hour just watching her sleep. He wanted nothing more than to wake her and tell her how he felt, but a part of him was scared of how she'd react and if it she didn't react well he'd of truly lost everything._

"_mmm" Mary moaned against his touch and opened her eyes, blinking a little when her eyes immediately starred into his._

_"Hey, I thought I better wake you. It's nearly one."_

_"In the afternoon?" Mary asked in disbelief as she pulled herself into a seat positioning._

_"Coffee?" Danny asked nodding in response to her questioning and heading for the kitchen._

"_Um Yeah" Mary looked around the room for a moment before everything came rushing back to her. Why she was there. "News broke yet?" She asked as Danny placed the coffee in front of her and motioned toward the bleeping machine. "I'm sorry"_

_"What for?" Danny picked up Mary's legs before sitting down on the sofa, placing them across his lap._

_"I wanted to get the phone before you could. Deal with all that" Danny smiled at Mary and rubbed her leg threw the sheet reassuringly._

_"It was fine. As you can see I found a way to deal with it. Anyway you had as late a night as me, you deserved the sleep too"_

_"How are you feeling?"_

_"Not sure yet" Danny answered honestly and Mary shifted to hug him holding the sheet close to her as she remembered she was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear_

"_Well let me know." She smiled at him stroking lightly at his temple. " I need to go home and get changed but then I'm coming right back. You going to be okay?"_

_"What am I five?" Danny joked, picking up both their coffee mugs and taking them away. Mary slipped her jeans on quickly in his absence before following him._

_"I'm serious Danny. Call me if you need me okay? I won't be more than an hour"_

_"Mare, I'm fine. Really. I'll be okay. Anyway I'm coming with you?"_

_"Well, what's the point in that?"_

_"Your car's over by the playground. You're going to need to go pick it up and you need a way to get home. Which one of us was drunk last night?" Danny laughed and Mary looked over concerned. He was too upbeat as far as she was concerned and it worried her. Deciding to leave it for now she pulled her hair up and motioned for Danny to lead the way out of the house._

_Mary walked into her room and shed her clothes picking clean things out of the closet. She was glad she'd convinced Danny to drive her to pick up her car first so she could drive herself home, and he could go back to his place. At her door she'd been greeted by a large bouquet of flowers and a note from Jake telling her he'd tried to get in contact all morning but her phone had been switched off, and that he hoped she was okay. His voice on her machine filtered through saying things along the same line and she decided she had better call him._

_"Mary?" Jake's voice answered the phone quicker than she'd expected and it took a couple of seconds for her to registered he'd answered._

_"Jake, Hi. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you earlier. I haven't been up long, we didn't get to bed till late."_

_"You and Danny?" Jake's voice hardened and Mary wished she'd chosen her words differently._

_"Um, Yeah." Twisting the phone cord around her finger Mary tried to think of something to say change the subject._

_"I have to go Mary. Dinner tonight?"_

"_I don't know about tonight Jake, I want to make sure Danny's okay.."_

_"He's not a child Mary." _

"_Jake, please don't be like that"_

_"I'm sorry, I'll call you later?" Jake's voiced raised in a question and Mary smiled a little at the apologetic tone in his voice._

_"Yeah, okay. Bye." Hanging the phone up Mary was startled as it started ringing almost immediately after. _

"_Hey.." Mary smiled at Danny's voice and tried not to notice the butterflies that started in her stomach, or compare them to the sinking feeling she'd had when she'd heard Jake pick up before._

_"Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah. Don't worry. I'm fine. I just wondered how long you were going to be. I was going to order something in for lunch."_

_"Don't bother with that, I was just about to come back anyway. I'll cook us something.."_

_"As long as you bring the ingredients with you" Danny laughed as he looked into his bare fridge_

"_Deal, I'll see you in a while."_


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Okay it's done! Hope you guys like it! The bit in italics is flashbacks. Thanks for everyone's support! Reviews loved as always 3

"This is ridiculous" Jake said from his position opposite Mary.

"What's ridiculous?" Mary answered, absentmindedly running her finger around the edge of her wine glass

"We barely see each other anymore and when we do you're not even here."

"I'm here. I am. I'm sorry" Mary forced a bright smile and rubbed Jake's thigh reassuring under the table. "I know we're not together as much as you'd like but…"

"There you are again. As much I'D like. What about you Mary? I know things have been difficult what with Danny's fathers death, but that was weeks ago now. I understand he's hurting but you've got to let him deal with it himself"  
Mary's hand snapped back from his leg and back into her own lap.

"I'm hurting too Jake. I don't think you realise how much that man meant to me."

"I know there's a history between you and Danny, Mary, but you can't let the past guide you all the time."

"I didn't mean Danny." Mary's voice was sharp as she picked up her wine glass and quickly drained the remains. "I meant his father. That man was much more of a father to me than my own and I'm still hurting over it all. I need Danny as much as he needs me."

"Calm down Mary" Jake nervously glanced around him to see whether any of the fellow diners had caught on to the tension between them and Mary let out an exasperated sigh. More and more things were starting to annoy her about Jake. Not least the way he was always thinking of how other people were perceiving them. Not for the first time she was wishing she'd followed through on her instinct toward finish the relationship after the failed trip. Circumstances had caused her to put it off more and more until she'd eventually lost the ability to judge when it would be a good time. "Maybe we should leave this till later."

"No. I don't think we should Jake. You keep bringing up your unhappiness with the situation but as soon as I react you don't want to talk about it anymore."

"This isn't working is it" Jake said after a long pause looking up from the design of his plate he'd be fixated on.

"What?" Mary's voice was filled with shock. Not at what he'd just said but at the fact it was him saying it.

"I feel like I'm compete ting for you Mary. You told me when we got together that you and Danny were over. But you spend more time with him than me."

"That's not true" Mary said, and it wasn't. She'd spent most of her time lately alone. Telling Danny she was with Jake, and Jake she was with Danny. The more time she spent with either of them the more confused she got. She'd wanted to be with Danny for so long, but she'd told herself that moving on was the best thing, and in had stepped Jake, seemingly perfect and just what she needed. But over the last few weeks her relationship with Danny was getting closer and closer, and it terrified her. She'd been hurt too many times, and here she was listening to Mr. Perfect tell her that things weren't working, and all because she'd gone back on her own promise to not let Danny in again.

"I don't know what to do anymore Mary. I've tried, but this isn't what I expected it would be?"

"And you think it was fair to have expectations from that start?" Mary took a deep breath "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of said that" But even as she apologised she knew it was true. It wasn't fair of him to have expectations of her as much as it wasn't fair for her to put him into the box of what she needed to get over Danny. It appeared that both hung too much on the relationship from the beginning without getting to know each other first. "You're right. This, this isn't working."

Jake leant over and took her hand "You're a great girl Mary, but I think you need to work out what it is you really want."

Danny walked threw the halls he knew well enough to walk blind folded and took in the empty spaces. It seemed so odd for the house to be so sparse. He smiled a sad smile as he remembered back to the days when his father had complained to his wife about her hoarding habits, saying the house looked cluttered. After her death he hadn't the heart to throw anything away though, so cluttered it had remained. This emptiness just seemed unnatural. Over the past few weeks he and Mary had sorted threw memories and possessions and he felt drained from it all. Given the dedication he had to his job he wasn't sure he'd be able to cope with not working for a large period of time when he'd first heard about the Montecito's renovations, but this summer had been hard on him. His fathers death had brought a lot of emotions to the surface that he should of dealt with a long time ago, and spending time with Mary reconnecting had only spurred on the conclusion he'd came to the night of his fathers death. He wasn't going to let Mary out of his life again. Unfortunately, this time it was she who pulled away every time they got closer to something more than friends. He'd like to think that it was because she was with Jake, but he was pretty sure the pulling back had a lot more to do with him. He smiled as he saw a flash of red hair from the room at the end of the hall.

"Hey" He said knocking lightly on the open door as he walked threw it sitting down on the bed next to Mary who was lying still staring at the ceiling.

"Hi" She smiled up at him before moving over leaving room for him to lay down next to her.  
"What you looking at?"  
"The paint marks" Mary smiled and pointed up at the collection of pink specs that adorned the white ceiling

"I was so mad at Greg when he did that. I wanted it to be perfect." Danny said wrapping his arm around Mary and holding her too him

"It was perfect." Mary smiled remembering the day she'd came back to find Danny and Greg covered in pink paint.

_Mary let out a groan of relief as she opened the front door and let herself in slipping her shoes off. She'd just finished at 8hour shift at the diner she'd began working at and all she could think of was taking along bath and going to bed. "Danny?" She called out as walked into the living room look for any sign of life in the house. She'd moved in with the McCoy's two months prior and although she'd always felt more comfortable in this house than her own she still couldn't quite get used to being here alone._

_"Happy now! She's back we haven't got time to fix it!" She heard Danny's voice grumble from down the hallway_

_"Dude, calm down. We're back here Mary!" Curiously Mary followed the sound of Greg's voice toward the back room which had now been given to her. _

_"What have you two been…." Her voice trailed off as she took in the sight in front of her. The prior cream walls were now painted a vibrant pink and her two best friends were covered in what apparently had not made the walls. Mary breath hitched unsure whether to cry or laugh_

"_Do you like it?" Danny asked grinning at her anxiously as Greg led her out of the room and showed her the door. Her name had been carefully stencilled onto the door. Looking at it was the last straw and tears began to pour down her face. "Are you okay?" Danny looked at her worriedly while Greg tightened his grip around her shoulder reassuringly._

_"I'm fine" Mary said laughing "How did you? I mean Why?" She paused taking a breath "I love it. But why? And isn't your dad going to kill you!"_

_"Dad knew about it, we wanted you to know that this is your home now. We wanted to make it personal. We didn't want you to think this was some semi-permanent arrangement. He was meant to be helping me paint but he called onto a job so I called Greg to come help after your left for work."_

_"You called Greg to do something on a Saturday morning." Mary slipped out of Greg's hold and walked over to Danny giving him a hug. "And you actually did something on a Saturday other than sleep!" Mary said grinning over at Greg as she wiped away the tears_

"_Ah, anything for my girl" Greg said winking_

_"Our Girl" Danny corrected_

_"Right. Our girl, and uh sorry about the paint splashes" Greg moved his arm motioning to the ceiling and floorboards "We kind of got carried away"_

_"It's okay, it makes if unique right! I love it! Now why don't you two get cleaned up and I'll make us some dinner"_

"I can't believe someone else is going to be living here" Mary relaxed into Danny's arms in a way she knew she shouldn't. Her earlier conversation with Jake had been playing on her mind all day. He had been right, just because he was out of the way it didn't mean all the issues were.

"I know, it just seems so strange to think about someone else just…living here." Danny's fingers started tracing small patterns on Mary's arms

"I broke up with Jake"

"What?" Danny tired his best to not let his happiness show in his voice

"Well no, he broke up with me."

"I'll kill him" Mary let out a small laugh at Danny's response

"No, it's okay. He was right. Things weren't working. In fact I should of finished it a long time ago. I didn't want to be in a relationship, not with him" Mary's voice trailed off and Danny could feel her pulling away from him

"Mary" Danny turned them both so they were looking into each others eyes "I need to ask you something." He paused for a moment taking the fact that Mary didn't turn away as permission to continue. "Why didn't you leave with Jake that night? You never want to talk about it, and you always seem to get quiet when I ask." Silence hung in the air for a few moments, their breathing synchronising

"You know why" Mary's voice was timid when she eventually answered. "Of course you know why. Danny you know me better than anyone, you can read me like a book and god sometimes I hate it, but you know why, and please don't make me say it"

"I can't read you Mary. Not anymore. You've shut yourself off from me ever since…." His voice trailed off as he tried to think of the right words. He'd been waiting weeks for this moment. Longer really, and the last thing he wanted to do was say something that would make her clam up. "We've not been the same in along time Mary. This past summer we've gotten closer again, and I've loved it. I have. But you always seem to be holding something back from me."

"I can't…"

"You can't what" He urged

"Give you that part of me again Danny, I can't. I couldn't leave that night with Jake. I couldn't move on. No matter how I tried. I couldn't leave YOU! Don't you get that?" Mary's voice got louder as she pushed herself up into a sitting position attempting to climb over Danny to leave. Cursing the small bed, and the fact that she was trapped between a wall and Danny.

Danny looked at Mary, seeing her fixing to run away he grabbed her arm and pulled her top him pressing his lips to hers. His arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her flat against his body. His tongue playing against her lips urging her to give him entry. After a few seconds he felt her relax into the kiss her lips parting, her body moulding to his. As quickly as she'd given in she pulled away standing up

"We can't do this Danny."

"Actually I think we were starting to do it quite well" Danny grinned up at Mary

"God Danny, don't. Just don't joke okay. We can't act like we did when we were kids. Laughing things off and pretending there's no significance, just letting things pass us by."

"You want to talk about letting things just pass by Mary?" Danny voice had a sharp edge to it as he stood up himself and Mary took a few steps back putting some distance between them. "How about the fact that after years of telling me you loved me, and that all you wanted to do was be with me you turn around and give me back your engagement ring without a second word!"

Mary bit back tears as she felt anger bubbling inside of her. "You really don't get it do you! That is what I wanted. IT'S WHAT I WANT! But you can't expect me to just accept that after years of picking me up and putting me down whenever the hell you like you've suddenly decided you really wanted me? No explanation. No nothing."

"It wasn't like I just woke up one day and decided to propose Mary. I was nearly killed Mary. Nearly every day my life was flashing before my eyes. The possibility that I'd never see you again was so very real. All I thought about was you. I just wanted to know you were okay."

"Just because you thought of me, it doesn't mean you love me Danny." Mary's voice was quiet this time, as she closed the space between them pulling Danny down into a sitting position next to her on the edge of the bed. "We've known each other literally as far back as we can remember. I don't know about you but I have very few memories that don't involve you in some way or another. So it's natural that at times when you're thinking about your life I'm going to be a prominent feature"

"You doubted I loved you?" Mary was taken aback by how shocked Danny looked by this statement. She'd just kind of always assumed he knew what she was thinking, that she didn't need to explain herself to him.

"Not that you loved me. Just that you were IN love with me…"

"But I was, I am, God Mary I've always been in love with you."

"Really?" Danny lifted Mary's chin with is fingers so she was looking into his eyes and he brushed at few tears which were falling down her cheeks.

"Really. I love you Mary Connell"

"I love you too" Mary leaned into Danny kissing him softly

"I want this. You. Us. I swear to you Mary I'll never make you doubt that I love you again." Danny pulled Mary over so she was sat on his lap holding her tightly against him

"Let's just take things slow okay? Our whole life we've been rushing in, and out just as quickly. I need to know this is for real"

"Slow. I can do that. How about a date? A proper one….In fact." Danny stopped and stood up pulling Mary to her feet and looking into her eyes his face a picture of seriousness. "Mary Connell will please you go out to dinner with my on Friday night?"

"I'd love to" Mary giggled and after a few moments Danny cracked a grin and started laughing too


End file.
